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January 31 2018

During an Emergency: Landline or Cell Phone?

By: BNEWS

During an emergency minutes and even seconds can matter and it turns out what type of phone you use to call for emergency services could impact how quickly help arrives.

According to a post from the Burlington Council on Aging, when calling 911 it is better, if possible, to call from a landline rather than a cell phone.

This is because when you call 911 from a landline phone, emergency personnel can immediately pinpoint your location. They can leave to help you immediately even if you are unable to tell them where you are.

With cell phones, however, the calls must be routed to the nearest emergency call center and then GPS is used to determine your location. This takes longer.

When you call 911 on your landline phone, emergency personnel can immediately pinpoint your location. With a cell phone, calls must first be routed to the nearest emergency call center and then GPS is used to determine your location.

“Cell phones do not have fixed location,” the notice states. “Their location can be established, sometimes sooner than other times, dependent on their location relevant to the cell phone towers. Emergency calls go to a central tower, that receives your message, interprets your message and then sends message back out to Emergency Responders.”

So if you have the option of a landline during an emergency, use that instead of the cell phone.

“Conclusion, if you are climbing Mount Washington and have an emergency, use your cell phone!” the notice states. “However, if an accident or emergency occurs in your driveway, use your landline to call 911. Help will arrive much quicker.”